text:
Hugh Welch Diamond
In Gloria A Hornstein's article "Madness from the outside in" for the British Psychological Society magazine, I first came across Hugh Welch Diamond, and have become equally fascinated and appalled in equal measures since. In the article, Hornstein considers artistic depictions of insanity from as far back as the early 19th century.
Diamond was a psychiatrist and photographer who, in the mid-19th century, took photographs of the mentally ill in order to record the "minute variations in emotional expression." The goal was to be able to see, through the photographs, the shift from mania to depression and back again.
What is she thinking, what was on her mind?
Diamond was chief psychiatrist at the Surrey County Lunatic Asylum and became obsessed with taking pictures of his patients during moments of madness. Anything that depicted mental illness in their facial expressions was a source of fascination. A vacant look, a tight jaw, what they were looking at, the shape of their eyebrows. He soon started exhibiting his work with titles such as "Phases of the insane,"
One of his most famous photographs was of a young woman in her thirties which became known as "Melancholy passing into Mania" She refused to look into the camera and focuses her gaze into the middle distance, what is she thinking, what are her thoughts? Is she angry, sad?
"Melancholy passing into mania"
One of the many patients at Surrey County Lunatic Asylum
Welch believed that taking photographs of mania would help in the treatment of patients, although there was never any proof of this.
I find these photographs both fascinating and grotesque. They are moving, but at the same time I'm asking myself, who were these people? What was their story? How did they find themselves in an asylum, did they ever leave?
http://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-28/december-2015/madness-outside
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hugh-Welch-Diamond-1808-1886-Photographer/dp/B001OJZ75E
Busnesau Gymraeg ar-lein/Welsh ...


The Department of Health Care Services has been accused of withholding information in a court case — information that has the potential to change the reimbursement status of rural health centers and federally qualified health centers in California, according to court documents filed Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit by the California Association of Rural Health Clinics.
Officials from DHCS could not comment on the lawsuit, according to Norman Williams, deputy director of public affairs for DHCS.
"As this matter is in active litigation, DHCS will provide its response to CARHC's recent motion in an upcoming court filing," Williams said.
DHCS has now turned over the emails. The motion filed Monday claims the information in the emails was pertinent to the original suit filed four years ago. According to plaintiffs, a judge decided there wasn't enough clarity to say RHCs and FQHCs should get optional benefits.
Rural clinic officials hope the emails may supply that clarity.
The case, California Association of Rural Health Clinics and Avenal Community Health Center v. Toby Douglas and the California Department of Health Care Services, revolves around the state's move four years ago to eliminate optional Medi-Cal benefits such as dentistry, podiatry and chiropractic care.
The elimination of optional Medi-Cal benefits eventually was approved by CMS, but the lawsuit posits that two types of facilities should be exempt from those eliminations — rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers.
The Medicare definition of physician applies to providers in federal programs. Rural clinics are arguing that that description includes podiatrists, chiropractors, and other providers in rural and federally qualified clinics.
At one point, both DHCS and CMS officials agreed with that, according to Nickerson — but DHCS officials later took the opposite view in court. According to a motion filed Monday to augment the court record, DHCS refused to release email exchanges with CMS that clarified that initial support.
Nickerson said details of the exclusion are less important than the possibility that rural health centers might qualify for a benefit that has been eliminated.
As for the mechanics of the court fight over the recently released emails, Nickerson is less concerned.
"I can't assume anyone was purposely trying to mess things up. It can appear that way, that it was suppressed in some way, but really, it was an agreement that just sort of disappeared," Nickerson said.
Nickerson said she doesn't know the timeline of what happens next, but she's eager to have this case heard in court soon.


text:
package co.biogram.main.notification;

import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;

import co.biogram.main.App;

/**
 * Created by sohrab on 7/17/18.
 */

public class Progress extends Builder
{
    public Progress(NotificationCompat.Builder builder, int identifier, String tag)
    {
        super(builder, identifier, tag);
    }

    @Override
    public void build()
    {
        super.build();
        super.notificationNotify();
    }

    public Progress update(int identifier, int progress, int max, boolean indeterminate)
    {
        NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(App.getContext());
        builder.setProgress(max, progress, indeterminate);

        notification = builder.build();
        notificationNotify(identifier);
        return this;
    }

    public Progress value(int progress, int max, boolean indeterminate)
    {
        builder.setProgress(max, progress, indeterminate);
        return this;
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Auap Group a Website Development India company enables clients to serve their customers better through reliable self-service automated processes. This plays an important role for the success of any organization; effective management and adds value beyond sales & service. As a Website Development Company our varied web applications are built using the latest cutting-edge technologies and will be customized totally to the needs of your enterprise.
Since our inception Auap Group a Web Development Firm has built up a substantial clientele and team across the globe. We have successfully developed several long term business associations with different size firms across the world that has helped in exponential growth of our company. We are glad to say that today Auap Group is one of the leading Website Development Company and has a distinct name as a reliable IT partner for client firms around the globe looking to outsource their IT projects in India.
We come from a thought that every organization is different and hence have their specific problems, which need customized solution to cater to that particular area. We focus to understand our client business and provide our customers with end-to-end solutions through our onsite, offshore and outsourcing methodology. Our domain knowledge and rich experience in Website Development India gives us cutting edge to determine the best solutions for business needs. With a clear view to provide best services to our clients we have developed web-enabled solutions partnering with several leading technology providers. Our experienced and talented teams of consultants, designers, developers and engineers have the right skills and aptitude for cross platform and varied industry web projects.


Decorated by Lisa Mallory, TSOP is bright, comfortable and filled with prime amenities, including a big green egg, 4 bicycles, flat screens, Nespresso cube, panini and ice cream makers, All-Clad skillets and many of Williams-Sonoma's finest wares. Daily housekeeping service is included, ensuring that you actually feel like you're on vacation You can even see the gulf waters from the numerous balcony porches in the home.
The downstairs bedrooms, one queen and one king, share a full hall bath (shower only) and are as pretty as they seem in the pictures. The upstairs master suite, including a spacious steam shower and a private porch and hammock, is a delightful, special retreat. Upstairs decks provide remarkable sunrise and sunset views to the water and are the perfect locale for coffees and cocktails. Just the right, short distance from the town and the beach, you will appreciate that you are truly in Seaside's sweet spot. This Grand level home includes daily housekeeping service. Please note that 4 complimentary bikes come with this house.


Beauty quotes | Beauty Saying | Today we share with you the best quotes about beauty not just skin beauty but the inner Beauty is most important. And also we have a big collection of other types of quotes like inspirational quotes, Love quotes, wisdom quotes and much more.
Everybody has beauty- just not everybody can see it.
Beauty is not only seen by the eye it is also felt by the heart.
The most beautiful thing about a person isn't looks, but heart and personaility.
Sometimes there is such beauty in awkwardness.
She made broken look beautifuland strong look invincible.She walked with the Universeon her shoulders and made itlook like a pair of wings.
But beauty is about finding the right fit, the most natural fit, To be perfect, you have to feel perfect about yourself --- avoid trying to be something you're not. For a goddess, that's especially hard. We can change so easily.
Read...Why is Inner Beauty More Important Than Outer Beauty?
Snow was falling,so much like starsfilling the dark treesthat one could easily imagineits reason for being was nothing morethan prettiness.
Sometimes it's like people are a million times more beautiful to you in your mind. It's like you see them through a special lens — but maybe if it's how you see them,that's how they really are. It's like the whole tree falling in the forest thing.
A lovely girl gazing at the stars, and the stars who gazed back.
Never forget:we walk on hell,gazing at flowers.
I'm trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief... I'm not in the business of offending people. I find the books upholding certain values that I think are important, such as life is immensely valuable and this world is an extraordinarily beautiful place. We should do what we can to increase the amount of wisdom in the world.
When people see some things as beautiful,other things become ugly.When people see some things as good,other things become bad.
No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.
Nothing,' wrote Tolstoy, 'can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness.
But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration and destroys the harmony of any face.
And if these mountains had eyes, they would wake to find two strangers in their fences, standing in admiration as a breathing red pours its tinge upon earth's shore. These mountains, which have seen untold sunrises, long to thunder praise but stand reverent, silent so that man's weak praise should be given God's attention.
Love me or hate me I promise that it will never make or break me.
Some women feel the need to act like they're never scared, needy or hurt; like they're as hardened as a man. I think that's dishonest. It's ok to feel delicate sometimes. Real beauty is in the fragility of your petals. A rose that never wilts isn't a rose at all.
Every woman knows that, regardless of all her other achievements, she is a failure if she is not beautiful.


1. "Do you live on Fork year 'round?" So many "guides" are seasonal at best. Since the guide business on Fork is not regulated, anyone can call themselves a guide. Even if they're licensed, in many cases you'll find they live anywhere from one hour away from the lake...all the way to another state!
2."Is guiding on Lake Fork your ONLY source of income?" This is your business! If the answer's no that tells you they have other obligations than those to you the paying customer!
3. If a guide advertises that they are a "touring pro" or fish tournament circuits, ask yourself how many days away from Lake Fork they spend pre-fishing other lakes.
4.Instead of asking the guide "what's your biggest fish?" ask "What's your "Customer's biggest fish?" After all you aren't paying to watch someone else catch a lunker!
5."How long have you been fishing Lake Fork?"
6.Beware of "guaranteed fish". You know the saying "if it sounds too good to be true..." You'll be surprised at the number of "guides" that will be eliminated by asking these few questions and chances are you'll be much more pleased with your fishing trip.


American autos have turn into so poor and so homogenized as a result of they haven't adjusted or responded to demographic and taste modifications. Pat, the top service manager , is tremendous-pleasant, educated, and explains ALL of what is being completed to your car and the costs. A couple of other niceties-their shop was clear, and their toilet was the nicest I've ever been to at a service station. Like each different individual here, I have to make a tough determination of selecting a good Automotive design school.
Jackson mentioned the auto industry remains aware of the fact that, within the United States, it operates underneath some degree of political policy. Ford Motor Firm, the Chrysler Corporation, and Common Motors, or The Large Three", held the biggest market shares and continued to amass smaller corporations. Ford Motor Firm has shaped a partnership with U-Haul to study the feasibility of utilizing advanced chemical formulation of high-solids, solvent-borne paint with an innovative three-moist application process that requires a smaller, less expensive and cleaner paint store than traditional automotive paint services.
In the ensuing years, Honda opened a U.S. factory, Toyota introduced the luxurious Lexus and GM launched the Saturn, a brand new model, and a few American corporations purchased stakes in foreign corporations to take advantage of the rising overseas markets. In their 1908 gross sales catalog they talked about their intensive line of kit which included their single cylinder gasoline engines, engine/saw mixtures, silage cutter/blowers, sweep kind horse-powers, energy jacks, noticed rigs, burr mills and grain grinders.


Most reports about environmental issues are handled by your local government. These include reports about nuisance and water contamination issues from residential as well as commercial and industrial premises. Local governments deal with such issues using environmental nuisance laws, water contamination laws and town planning laws.
Nuisance such as noise, dust and odour from non-government entities e.g. residences, commercial buildings, industrial buildings.
Water pollution from the release of contaminants such as sediment, detergents, paints, oils and other chemicals.
Pollution from activities with permits issued by local government e.g. scrap metal yards, asphalt plants, boat maintenance facilities, plastics manufacturing facilities, metal forming workshops and surface coating workshops.
For most of these types of issues you should talk to your local government.
Each local government has a complaint resolution process you can follow if you're believe the process was not effective.
You may also contact the Queensland Ombudsman to request a review of the actions taken (before you contact the Ombudsman, ensure you have followed your local government's complaint resolution process first).
Note: For noise issues relating to vehicles, the Police are the responsible entity. For noise issues relating to hotels and licenced restaurants the Liquor licencing authority is the responsible entity.
Reports about significant pollution incidents can be made to us via the Pollution Hotline. We are responsible for undertaking compliance activities on industries and activities that pose a greater environmental risk.
other industries identified as environmentally relevant activities (PDF, 191KB) that are administered by the State.
local government work depots (where works have been done by a local/state employee and not a contractor. If it is a contractor contact the relevant local government).
Note: This category excludes complaints about work by private contractors on State-owned land.
Suspected unlicensed waste transport, storage disposal or recycling activities may also be reported to us.
Pollution incidents can be reported 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you are reporting an issue specific to the Swanbank Industrial Area, you can select Option 3 when you dial 1300 130 372.
You can fill in and submit an online environment incident report, which you can access from your desktop or mobile device.
You can also elect to receive a copy of your submitted report by email.
And where applicable an odour log sheet (DOCX, 152KB) and nuisance noise log sheet (DOCX, 154KB).
These forms may be emailed to pollutionhotline@des.qld.gov.au. Note: this email is only monitored 8.30am to 5.00pm business days.
Please phone the 24/7 Pollution Hotline - 1300 130 372 (option 2) for all environmental emergencies.
Reports that do not relate to nuisance matters can be made anonymously. However, follow up actions may be limited when making anonymous reports. For more information discuss the making of anonymous reports with the department.


Featuring self stripe pattern all over as well as a high-low hemline, this top from the house of aLL exudes streamlining effect. The poly lycra fabric of this top ensures soft feel and superior comfort throughout the day. Pair up this top with black coloured skinnies and pumps.


text:
[![GoDoc](https://godoc.org/github.com/emersion/go-imap-idle?status.svg)](https://godoc.org/github.com/emersion/go-imap-idle)

[IDLE extension](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2177) for [go-imap](https://github.com/emersion/go-imap).

## Usage

### Client

```go
// Select a mailbox
if _, err := c.Select("INBOX", false); err != nil {
	log.Fatal(err)
}

idleClient := idle.NewClient(c)

// Create a channel to receive mailbox updates
statuses := make(chan *imap.MailboxStatus)
c.MailboxUpdates = statuses

// Check support for the IDLE extension
if ok, err := idleClient.SupportIdle(); err == nil && ok {
	// Start idling
	stop := make(chan struct{})
	done := make(chan error, 1)
	go func() {
		done <- idleClient.Idle(stop)
	}()

	// Listen for updates
	for {
		select {
		case status := <-statuses:
			log.Println("New mailbox status:", status)
			close(stop)
		case err := <-done:
			if err != nil {
				log.Fatal(err)
			}
			log.Println("Not idling anymore")
			return
		}
	}
} else {
	// Fallback: call periodically c.Noop()
}
```

Note that this is a minimal example, you'll need to:
* Stop idling and re-send an `IDLE` command [at least every 29 minutes](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2177#section-3)
  to avoid being logged off
* Properly handle servers that don't support the `IDLE` extension

### Server

```go
s.Enable(idle.NewExtension())
```

## License

MIT


A New York doctor is accused of hiding two surveillance cameras in a bathroom of a hospital's intensive care unit.
Thirty-two-year-old Jeffrey Gould has been charged with unlawful surveillance stemming from the March 1 discovery of two "spy pens" in a bathroom at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse. Police say one camera was taped to the side of a trash can and the other was on a toilet paper dispenser.
Defense attorney Edward Menkin tells The Post-Standard of Syracuse that Gould hid the cameras to try to catch the person who he says stole his prescription medication and a camera.
Menkin says his client used "terrible judgment," but didn't intend to invade anyone's privacy.
He says Gould has since been fired.


the homeschool model for interested families on Thursday, January 28.
Cross Lutheran Church in St. Peters at 12:00 pm on January 28.
largest series of education-related events in US history.
homeschooled students will celebrate with a parade.
For more information, contact Andrea Zinselmeyer, at schomeschoolerlink@gmail.com.
for students, families, and communities around the country.


text:
using NUnit.Framework;

namespace NMoneys.Exchange.Demo.CodeProject
{
	[TestFixture]
	public class DefaultConversions
	{
		[Test]
		public void Default_Conversions_DoNotBlowUpButAreNotTerriblyUseful()
		{
			var tenEuro = new Money(10m, CurrencyIsoCode.EUR);

			var tenDollars = tenEuro.Convert().To(CurrencyIsoCode.USD);
			Assert.That(tenDollars.Amount, Is.EqualTo(10m));

			var tenPounds = tenEuro.Convert().To(Currency.Gbp);
			Assert.That(tenPounds.Amount, Is.EqualTo(10m));
		}
	}
}


text:
Q: Where does it still make sense to use Flash? It seems that Javascript, CSS3, and HTML5 are handling more and more of what Flash used to do. Plus, mobile devices have been slow to support Flash. Where does it still make sense to use Flash in web design & development?
For instance, in the projects I work on, we're still using Flash for video playback in Internet Explorer but using HTML5 in other browsers. I'm guessing audio is similar. Flash still has some advantages for complex animation and games. Where else?

A: I'm an absolute fan of javascript and a real Flash lover - but this argument is really starting to grate me.
Please by no means assume I'm slating you - and it is a valid question, but they both excel in their extremes.
There is a now a cross over between the two platforms. With the new onslaught of groovy HTML5 trickery and Javascript speed going through the roof - you can now perform tasks in JS of which you would used to only do in Flash.
Stem the argument slightly to what Flash can do:

*

*Augmented reality with 3D scenes using camera and sound.

*file and data manipulation of which will far exceed javascript current role.

*cross platform support on multiple browsers and devices

*extended Rich media

*Standardized video support

*For clients, Flash replacements for custom fonts is a must as copyright licensing on their fonts prohibits CSS3 fonts. No mentioning the need to have 4/5 versions of the same fonts in different formats.

*deploy applications quickly via desktop and web using the same platform/language/code

No to mention the recent advancements:

*

*GPU acceleration to the like of installed apps capability

*native massive networking support

With javascript - difference in implementation across browsers can be a halting process.
If I were to display video on my website in flash, its one SWF. To ensure I have the same visibility with the relatively new HTML5/Javascript/CSS3 application - I would need to distribute my video in many formats with multiple levels of CSS capabilities with JS fallbacks.

By no means am I stating Flash is the first and foremost - but its still the go to technology for many tasks I need to do day-to-day.
Additionally we really only questioned the way the web was going since apple didn't implement Flash on their platform. Its a decision I happily live with and don't miss - but with the allowance to build an app using Flash and then to Deploy it as a native iOS app - this argument is now subjective to fan bases and those without the wish to support a new workflow.

This is a site I help build in flash/AS3:
http://www.adobemuseum.com/index.php
Building the exact thing in javascript to work in IE6 would have made me quit my job.
If you don't agree, I'd love to hear your opinion and I'm totally willing to argue my point further or listen to a reason as to why I am wrong.

A: *

*Where you can't make certain aspects of a website stay the same across platforms.

*Where you cannot do what you want with anything else.

A: Flash can...

*

*access the web cam

*access the microphone

*access sockets in all browsers

flash has...

*

*a gui for creating complex vector animations

*an elegant system for managing and nesting visual assets

*built in filters like blur and convolution that run in real-time

*real-time bitmap manipulation with BitmapData and PixelBender (much faster than canvas)

*software rendered 3d engines like PV3D or Away3D

*real-time audio manipulation for generating audio and processing existing audio files

*the ability to read and write binary data, enabling the reading and writing of any filetype (like pdf or doc)

There's more but those are the main ones I can think of off the top of my head. I've been using lots of HTML5 lately and I think it's really excellent, but when it comes time to make games or do something related to the above list, I still find myself using flash.
Recently while developing games in flash I've been thinking to myself how I would go about doing the same thing using canvas and/or javascript and HTML5. In some cases it's possible, but in most cases it would be a good deal more work and code.

A: these spring to mind:

*

*Augmented reality applications

*P2P and other video applications; videochat

*Rich media banners (there are good solutions to this in HTML5 though) and mostly interactive online advertising

*Applications for Flash-Lite and Flash Player 10 enabled mobile devices (Set top boxes, XBox etc)

Rob

A: If you are making a website for an upscale restaurant, you must use flash.
Bonus points if it has a sweet looking loading screen that plays ambient music.
here is an example of a good flash UI:
http://www.rinconlimenorestaurant.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Termenul "Regen" se poate referi la:

în limba
Regen (râu) care se varsă în Dunăre
Regen, oraș în Bayerischer Wald, Bavaria
Regen (district) în Bavaria
Denumirea germană a orașului Reghin din România

Vezi și
Regensburg

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Jan Åke Ramberg (1 February 1932 – 28 January 2018) was a Swedish lawyer and professor emeritus specialising in commercial law, and national and international arbitration court judge. Ramberg was also a member of the International Arbitration Court of London.

Jan Ramberg graduated in 1955 from Uppsala University, and obtained his LL.D. from Stockholm University in 1970. From 1970 to 1997 he worked as a civil law professor, and from 1994 to 1996, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Law. Ramberg was also a practising lawyer and partner in the law office of Johan Ramberg (later Vinge & Ramberg, today Vinge) in Gothenburg and worked on the Boards of several corporations, such as Svenska Handelsbanken. From 1980 to 1985, he was the Chairman and Director of Transecure S.A. Luxemburg. As Vice President of the International Chamber of Commerce's Commission on International Commercial Practice and Chairman of a work group which in 1980, 1990, and 2000 prepared Incoterm document revisions, he was involved in international trade law and practices development for more than three decades. Ramberg was the author of many academic books and articles on contract law, maritime law, transport law and Incoterms, published in English, German and Swedish.

Ramberg actively worked in the sphere of maritime law, having been the president of the Maritime Law Association of Sweden, a member of the editorial board of Lloyd's Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly, president of the board of the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, as well as the honorary vice-president of the Comité Maritime International.

Selected bibliography
PEPPER III Report: Promotion of Employee Participation in the Profits and Enterprise Results in the New Member and Candidate Countries of the European Union, Country Report Latvia (Inter-University Centre Split/Berlin, 2006).
"Unsafe Ports and Berths", Oslo 1967
"Cancellation of Contracts of Affreightment on Account of War and Similar Circumstances", Gothenburg Maritime Law Association publication No. 40, 1969
"The Law of Carriage of Goods - Attempts at Harmonisation", Scandinavian Studies in Law, 1973, Stockholm
Contributions to the UNCTAD/SIDA publication on "Ocean Chartering" (following a seminar in 1977 under Professor Ramberg's tutorship)
"The Vanishing Bill of Lading & the 'Hamburg Rules Carrier'", American Journal of Comparative Law, volume XXVII, pp. 391–406
"Die Incoterms Heute und Morgen" (with Dr.jur.,Dr.h.c. F. Eisemann), GOF-Verlag, Vienna 1980
"The China Papers" - a series of lectures in maritime law conducted in the People's Republic of China, Stockholm 1981
"Incoterms 1980." (The Transnational Law of International Commercial Transactions) Norbert Horn & Clive Schmitthoff editors, pp. 137–151, Deventer, 1982
"The Multimodal Transport Document" [International Carriage of Goods: Some Legal Problems and Possible Solutions] C.M. Schmitthoff and R.M. Goode editors, London 1988
"Incoterms in the Era of Electronic Data Interchange", Forum Internationale no. 13, November 1988
"The Law of Freight Forwarding and the 1992 FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading", (ed. by FIATA), Zürich, 1993
"Guide to Incoterms", Paris 1991
"Freedom of Contract in Maritime Law" LMCLQ pp. 178–191, 1993
"The Unctad/ICC Rules on Multimodal Transport Documents - Genesis and Contents", (essays in honour of Hugo Tiberg), Stockholm 1996
"Breach of Contract and Recoverable Losses" (Making Commercial Law, Essays in Honour of Roy Goode pp. 191–200), Oxford 1997
"The New Swedish Sales Law" (Centro di studi e ricerche di diritto comparato e straniero, Saggi, Conferenze e Seminari 28), Rome 1997
"International Commercial Transactions", Stockholm 1998, 1999

References

1932 births
2018 deaths
20th-century Swedish lawyers
Academic staff of Stockholm University
Uppsala University alumni
People from Gothenburg


text:
Lady Gaga, Lukas Graham, Kaleo, Gavin DeGraw, Captain Cuts Reach Pop Radio's Top 50
Lady Gaga [NBC]
by Brian Cantor Nov 13, 2016, 9:11 pm
Based on airplay attained during the November 6-12 tracking week, five songs move into the pop format's Top 50.
Played 542 times during the tracking week (+350), Lady Gaga's "Million Reasons" ranks as the Mediabase pop panel's #44 song. It was #62 last week.
Up twenty-two places, Lukas Graham's "You're Not There" earns #46. It received 481 weekly plays (+345).
A six-place rise brings Kaleo's "Way Down We Go" up to #48. The former alternative #1 received 388 weekly spins (+92).
Spun 380 times this week (+29), Gavin DeGraw's "She Sets The City On Fire" earns #49.
Captain Cuts' "Love Like We Used To (featuring Nateur)" follows at #50. The song, which was #64 last week, received 355 spins this week (+186).
captain cutsgavin degrawkaleoLady Gagalove like we used tolukas grahammillion reasonsnateurshe sets the city on fireway down we goyou're not there
OneRepublic's "Kids," Anne-Marie's "Alarm," Flume & Tove Lo's "Say It" Reach Pop Radio's Top 40
Adele's "Water Under The Bridge" Rockets Into Hot AC's Top 40; Lady Gaga, Lukas Graham Join Top 50

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Know a Place to Visit?
Do you know a great Dog Friendly place to stay? A fabulous walk? A fantastic beach? Perhaps you and your canine friend enjoyed a great pub meal or found a really dog friendly café? Maybe you know the perfect cottage to rent or caravan site to stay on?
If you have a favourite dog friendly spot then please share it with us and submit your listing below.
If you are a Hotel; Pub with Rooms; Cafe or other business, an annual advertising fee of £50 will apply.


text:
Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu.
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Japan's National Daily Since 1922
Go to photos
End of the line for Japan's only all-double-decker 'Max' E4 series shinkansen bullet train
October 1, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Japanese version
An all-double-decker E4 series shinkansen bullet train is seen at JR Niigata Station in the city of Niigata. (Mainichi/Yosuke Tsuyuki)
NIIGATA -- Japan's only all-double-decker shinkansen bullet train E4 series is set to be retired from regular operations on Oct. 1.
Crew members and maintenance staff with operator East Japan Railway Co. are set to bid a fond farewell to the popular "Max," or "multi amenity express" -- a train series that has embodied mass passenger transport since the 1990s.
Joetsu Shinkansen conductor Masayuki Ito, left, and driver Hajime Toshima are seen in the city of Niigata on Sept. 24, 2021. (Mainichi/Yosuke Tsuyuki)
"It left a strong impression when passengers cheered after they saw how high the view was when they entered the upper deck," said Masayuki Ito, 44, who has worked as a conductor on "Max Toki" and "Max Tanigawa," which connect Tokyo and the city of Niigata to the northwest.
"I want people to see Max's majestic figure right to the end," said Ito, ahead of its final run.
The E4 series was born against a backdrop of trends such as long-distance commuting to central Tokyo and the skiing boom. Its operation was launched in 1997 to realize mass passenger transport amid increased demand on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line, which connects Tokyo, the northern Kanto region and Niigata. One unit of the E4 series train consists of eight double-decker carriages. When two units are connected, the seating capacity of the 16-carriage train is 1,634 -- the world's largest for a high-speed train.
The 3+3 seating is seen on the upper deck of the E4 series shinkansen's first car in the city of Niigata on Sept. 24, 2021. The middle seats have no armrests. (Mainichi/Yosuke Tsuyuki)
The preceding E1 series, which was retired in 2012, consisted of 12 cars, and did not allow for multiple trains to be connected. In contrast, the E4 series' first car has a coupling device, making it possible to operate flexibly using the eight carriage units.
The upper deck of the first car is spectacular. Each row has 3+3 seating, which is rare for a shinkansen. To secure space, seats are non-reclining and have no armrests. The train door entrance area was designed 30 centimeters wider than conventional models to allow passengers to board and alight smoothly. Compared to the E1, the E4 series is lighter in weight and also makes less noise by adopting a "long nose" to reduce wind resistance on the first car.
(Japanese original by Yosuke Tsuyuki, Niigata Bureau)
In Photos: Japan's E4 series all-double-decker shinkansen set for last run
Go to The Mainichi Home Page
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1 DoppelApfel | Kim online 508 days, 4 hours, 43 mins, 48 secs 155 days, 18 hours, 55 mins, 0 secs 352 days, 9 hours, 48 mins, 48 secs Colonel 100 2017-03-18 22:23:01 0 höchster Rang erreicht
2 Maxwell 2020-12-10 16:33:19 200 days, 13 hours, 50 mins, 30 secs 31 days, 2 hours, 11 mins, 0 secs 169 days, 11 hours, 39 mins, 30 secs Colonel 100 2020-01-17 22:45:31 0 höchster Rang erreicht
3 Saya77 2018-08-23 17:44:24 428 days, 0 hours, 59 mins, 31 secs 260 days, 5 hours, 51 mins, 20 secs 167 days, 19 hours, 8 mins, 11 secs Colonel 100 2018-02-12 15:58:44 0 höchster Rang erreicht
4 Capt.Dr.Prof.Imperator iTweek 2020-12-29 21:40:21 508 days, 15 hours, 51 mins, 46 secs 355 days, 8 hours, 45 mins, 30 secs 153 days, 7 hours, 6 mins, 16 secs Colonel 100 2020-08-02 18:40:32 0 höchster Rang erreicht
5 Caaine 2021-01-16 10:38:30 401 days, 20 hours, 2 mins, 16 secs 270 days, 21 hours, 47 mins, 43 secs 130 days, 22 hours, 14 mins, 33 secs Colonel 100 2019-07-26 19:08:39 0 höchster Rang erreicht
6 groundpound69 online 276 days, 11 hours, 19 mins, 44 secs 149 days, 19 hours, 58 mins, 18 secs 126 days, 15 hours, 21 mins, 26 secs Colonel 100 2019-08-15 15:41:53 0 höchster Rang erreicht
7 Wolf | Fabi online 193 days, 0 hours, 50 mins, 14 secs 74 days, 7 hours, 8 mins, 10 secs 118 days, 17 hours, 42 mins, 4 secs Colonel 100 2019-07-26 18:14:32 0 höchster Rang erreicht
8 Maxwell 2019-12-07 00:12:39 178 days, 16 hours, 18 mins, 45 secs 61 days, 4 hours, 18 mins, 28 secs 117 days, 12 hours, 0 mins, 17 secs Colonel 100 2017-10-07 15:31:17 0 höchster Rang erreicht
9 Emtes 2020-04-28 18:25:24 247 days, 14 hours, 43 mins, 46 secs 131 days, 19 hours, 30 mins, 53 secs 115 days, 19 hours, 12 mins, 53 secs Colonel 100 2017-10-03 16:15:47 0 höchster Rang erreicht
10 Hara 2020-05-01 19:41:57 151 days, 19 hours, 4 mins, 2 secs 41 days, 15 hours, 21 mins, 21 secs 110 days, 3 hours, 42 mins, 41 secs Colonel 100 2018-10-01 14:30:43 0 höchster Rang erreicht
11 Tavi l Alex 2021-01-19 22:29:17 149 days, 8 hours, 45 mins, 25 secs 43 days, 4 hours, 25 mins, 26 secs 106 days, 4 hours, 19 mins, 59 secs Colonel 100 2020-01-11 17:49:06 0 höchster Rang erreicht
12 Smokie 2020-08-17 16:20:22 117 days, 1 hours, 25 mins, 18 secs 12 days, 8 hours, 1 mins, 42 secs 104 days, 17 hours, 23 mins, 36 secs Colonel 100 2018-09-30 21:22:26 0 höchster Rang erreicht
13 RVenom 2020-10-09 20:29:36 148 days, 17 hours, 56 mins, 51 secs 46 days, 20 hours, 21 mins, 48 secs 101 days, 21 hours, 35 mins, 3 secs Colonel 100 2018-04-29 21:35:13 0 höchster Rang erreicht
14 Karl 2021-01-17 20:27:31 148 days, 6 hours, 51 mins, 24 secs 51 days, 0 hours, 14 mins, 59 secs 97 days, 6 hours, 36 mins, 25 secs Colonel 100 2018-12-16 17:04:47 0 höchster Rang erreicht
15 Absolutely Heretical B-Bait?! 2020-12-11 15:46:21 163 days, 10 hours, 40 mins, 42 secs 66 days, 11 hours, 51 mins, 15 secs 96 days, 22 hours, 49 mins, 27 secs Colonel 100 2018-02-15 17:11:30 0 höchster Rang erreicht
16 Mogli 2021-01-18 00:04:05 140 days, 15 hours, 38 mins, 19 secs 52 days, 9 hours, 10 mins, 57 secs 88 days, 6 hours, 27 mins, 22 secs Colonel 100 2019-02-28 21:24:33 0 höchster Rang erreicht
17 General Broccoli | Mirko online 283 days, 6 hours, 56 mins, 23 secs 196 days, 4 hours, 7 mins, 51 secs 87 days, 2 hours, 48 mins, 32 secs Colonel 100 2020-08-30 15:00:33 0 höchster Rang erreicht
18 bl4ckscor3 2018-09-15 00:32:21 128 days, 15 hours, 8 mins, 50 secs 46 days, 21 hours, 53 mins, 10 secs 81 days, 17 hours, 15 mins, 40 secs Colonel 100 2017-05-16 18:03:43 0 höchster Rang erreicht
19 Draiken online 211 days, 1 hours, 10 mins, 42 secs 130 days, 0 hours, 31 mins, 10 secs 81 days, 0 hours, 39 mins, 32 secs Colonel 100 2020-07-23 00:31:21 0 höchster Rang erreicht
20 Lemonhead [Tim] ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 2020-10-15 23:42:35 150 days, 11 hours, 8 mins, 1 secs 69 days, 22 hours, 56 mins, 12 secs 80 days, 12 hours, 11 mins, 49 secs Colonel 100 2019-12-28 19:17:57 0 höchster Rang erreicht
21 S-M-O-K-I-E 2018-05-29 00:46:00 139 days, 12 hours, 41 mins, 25 secs 62 days, 23 hours, 12 mins, 17 secs 76 days, 13 hours, 29 mins, 8 secs Colonel 100 2017-06-11 20:25:30 0 höchster Rang erreicht
22 Saenger.ItsWar 2020-12-26 18:31:31 597 days, 11 hours, 27 mins, 9 secs 521 days, 12 hours, 49 mins, 50 secs 75 days, 22 hours, 37 mins, 19 secs Colonel 100 2018-06-22 11:46:02 0 höchster Rang erreicht
23 Tf_02 2020-11-16 20:24:30 89 days, 17 hours, 49 mins, 26 secs 20 days, 11 hours, 15 mins, 41 secs 69 days, 6 hours, 33 mins, 45 secs Colonel 100 2020-04-12 20:13:23 0 höchster Rang erreicht
24 Ryan Stekken 2021-01-19 22:04:34 101 days, 2 hours, 6 mins, 6 secs 32 days, 20 hours, 19 mins, 23 secs 68 days, 5 hours, 46 mins, 43 secs Colonel 100 2020-10-01 17:30:12 0 höchster Rang erreicht
25 Satsu 2021-01-19 22:17:36 148 days, 11 hours, 45 mins, 34 secs 80 days, 7 hours, 33 mins, 21 secs 68 days, 4 hours, 12 mins, 13 secs Colonel 100 2018-07-19 20:52:11 0 höchster Rang erreicht


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'They're Playing Our Song' & 'Pippin' at the Boca Raton Theatre Guild
Posted by Carol Kassie in Boca Raton Theatre Guild, Clients
Bob Fosse, Boca Raton Theatre Guild, musical, musical comedy, Musical Theatre, Pippin, Stephen Schwartz, They're Playing Our Song, Willow Theatre
The Boca Raton Theatre Guild to Produce
Two Musicals for its 2013-2014 Season
The Boca Raton Theatre Guild has chosen to produce two acclaimed musicals for their 2013-2014 season. The commercial and critical success of their recent production of Chicago was one of the key factors inspiring the change. In the past their seasons have consisted of one musical and one straight play.
The BRTG season will open with They're Playing Our Song, the Neil Simon/Marvin Hamlisch disco era musical, and will conclude with the Stephen Schwartz, Bob Fosse, Roger O. Hirson 1972 classic Pippin.
Producer/director Keith Garsson explains the Guild's decision: "The recent loss of composer Marvin Hamlisch led us to re-examine his unique body of work to see which shows have been overlooked. It didn't take long to come across They're Playing Our Song and realize that its energetic disco score, New York setting and funny script by Neil Simon was a terrific choice to insert into the spot usually reserved for our straight play."
They're Playing Our Song will star Carbonell Award winners Margot Moreland and Oscar Cheda as fictional counterparts to the real-life romance between Hamlisch and lyricist Carol Bayer-Sager. Ms. Moreland recently wowed Theatre Guild audiences in her critically acclaimed performance of last year's Sweet Charity and Mr. Cheda, has just completed a run in the critically acclaimed production of In the Heights at Actor's Playhouse. Caryl Fantel will serve as musical director for the production.
The season will conclude with the Guild's traditional 'big' musical. According to musical theatre scholar Scott Miller in his 1996 book, From Assassins to West Side Story, "Pippin is a largely under-appreciated musical with a great deal more substance to it than many people realize…" Currently enjoying an extremely successful revival on Broadway, Pippin uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of a young prince and his search for meaning and significance.
Says producer Garsson: "Pippin features a collection of dance-in the-aisles tunes. It ran for years on Broadway, beginning in 1972. Of course that was over forty years ago… expect some innovations!"
"And," Garsson continues, "We're really pleased Ron Hutchins, who created all that brilliant choreography in Chicago will be joining us for both shows this season as we continue to grow our productions as our audience demands!"
The Boca Raton Theatre Guild is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to producing professional productions and advancing the art of theatre in the South Florida community.
All performances will take place in the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park. The theatre is located at 300 South Military Trail in Boca Raton, just south of Palmetto Park Road.
Tickets for They're Playing Our Song and Pippin will be available at the Willow Theatre Box office: 561-347-3948.
For more information about the Boca Raton Theatre Guild, please visit www.brtg.org.
They're Playing Our Song
Music: Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics: Carole Bayer Sager
Book: Neil Simon
Previews: (November 8 & 9) $30
Wednesday Evenings: $30
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz with contributions by Bob Fosse
Book: Roger O. Hirson
January 24 – February 9
Previews: (January 24 & 25) $30
The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 South Military Trail,


Chief Baking Officer Bobbie Lloyd tells us what to expect.
Magnolia Bakery's Chief Baking Officer (yes, it's her official title) Bobbie Lloyd is a foodie to her core. "I've been a food person for many years, since I went to culinary school in the 80's and devoted myself to all things food," she says. It only seems natural that Lloyd, now in her twelfth year as Magnolia's CBO is excited for the opening of the Union Station bakery this week, the brand's 27th location worldwide and first in DC.
Since her first year at Magnolia, Lloyd has updated and modified its original recipes to appeal to the Bakery's fan base—and make sure they're perfect.
The Union Station location will bring Magnolia products to a brand-new set of customers. "I think people will come in for cupcakes, and will be surprised by the range we offer," Lloyd says of the Bakery's rotational products—more than 250—that include cookies, cakes and icebox desserts, as well as seasonal and unique-to-D.C. specialties.
For the question of what to order, Lloyd has some ideas.
Lloyd anticipates Magnolia's simplicity and classic products being a hit for Washington.


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Skyview Networks Sponsors Technology, Sales and Podcast Panels at the Largest Gathering of MLB Audio Rightsholders
Annual rightsholder meeting focus turns to digital audio strategies to further access loyal fans
LAS VEGAS (November 20, 2019) – At the conclusion of each season, the majority of Major League Baseball (MLB) audio rightsholders gather to share successes in engaging with fans through broadcast radio and digital audio. This year, over 20 teams and organizations participated in panels covering technology, audio sales strategies and the future of emerging non-terrestrial mediums. Digital content captured the main focus of the conversations, as franchises shared strategies for monetizing this evolving platform.
"Skyview Networks is proud to return as the title sponsor of this conference, which hosts an innovative group of baseball and broadcast executives as they discuss the critical role radio and digital audio play in fan engagement," said Skyview Networks President and COO, Steve Jones. "We look forward to developing additional technology to serve our partners in this evolving audio space."
As a leading audio technology and network sales organization, Skyview Networks provides myriad services such as distribution, inventory management and proof-of-performance software to the majority of professional franchises. These include long-time partners such as the Saint Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland A's and more.
"From broadcast audio to podcasts to smart speakers, MLB audio rightsholders are creating innovative ways to engage their fans with audio content and Skyview is proud to partner with them," said Matt Stys, Vice President, Business Development.
During the conference, several franchise executives revealed the successful expansion of their radio networks while simultaneously deepening their understanding of digital audio strategies. A special breakout session outlined the future of online gaming and its likely impact on broadcast rights holders.
Additional panel topics included maximizing ad sales with an emphasis on innovative features and creating awareness for franchises' ancillary digital content, especially concerning podcasts. As the digital listenership rapidly increases, the franchises are hyper-focused on monetizing the platform.
For further takeaways from the MLB Audio Rightsholders Conference, follow @SkyviewNetworks. Additional information on Skyview Networks' full suite of services can be found at skyviewnetworks.com.
Skyview Networks is a broadcast technology, syndication and national network sales solution company serving over 5,700 radio stations reaching 113 million listeners weekly. Skyview Networks provides services to ABC Audio, CBS Audio, Local Radio Networks, Alpha Media USA, JackFM, The Dana Cortez Show, professional and collegiate sports organizations and two state news networks. Founded in 1995, Skyview is based in Scottsdale, Arizona and focuses on providing best-in-class services that include satellite and IP distribution, full network automation, inventory management systems and network audio sales. For more information, visit skyviewnetworks.com and follow @SkyviewNetworks.


Himachal Pradesh is always a paradise for tourists in winters. Beside the tourist places it's the winter sports which also attract the tourists to Himachal Pradesh. Out of all the winter sports snow skiing is most popular. This article is intended to provide you the basic knowledge of Snow skiing in Himachal Pradesh.
Alpine skiing also known as downhill skiing which is performed in ski resorts with specified ski pistes or ski runs.
Nordic skiing is also known as cross country skiing or cross country racing. Main difference of Nordic skiing with Alpine skiing is that t is not done in ski resorts instead the skier goes outside and skis in local parks or snow streets.
1. Kufri- Kufri is the oldest place for skiing in the Himachal Pradesh. It is situated at a distance of 19 Km. from Shimla on Shimla-Rampur highway.
Height from sea level- 2662 m.
Best place for skiing- The Mahasu ridge.
Snowfall time- December to March.
2. Manali- After Kufri next place comes in the priorty is beautiful hills of Manali. This is an ideal place for beginners as well as experts. The annual winter carnival is held in the month of February in Manali.
Height from sea level- 2133 m.
Best places for skiing- Manali, Solang valley and Guaba slopes.
3. Narkanda- Narkanda is also another place situated in distt. Shimla which is known for Skiing. Skiing is started in 1980s in Narkanda.Narkanda is one of the oldest ski resorts in India and has wonderful hills full of snow making it ideal for skiing.
Height from sea level- 3143 m.
In the last I just want to end with this that Himachal is the right place for those who are seeking for a skiing adventure in this winter.


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Worker killed in electrical accident
SOUTHPORT � A subcontractor working for Gulf Power Co. died Wednesday afternoon after 250,000 volts of electricity wet through his body, according to the Bay County Sheriff�s Office (BCSO).
SOUTHPORT � A subcontractor working for Gulf Power died after he grabbed a wire loaded with 250,000 volts of electricity Wednesday, according to the Bay County Sheriff�s Office (BCSO).
Matthew VanWitzenberg, of Tennessee, was pronounced dead at Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health System on Wednesday afternoon, BCSO reported Thursday. He was an employee of the Service Electric Company of Chattanooga, Tenn.
BCSO Investigator Albert Willis said VanWitzenberg grabbed a �live wire� while working at Gulf Power�s Lansing Smith Steam Plant on County 2300 at about noon Wednesday.
�He grabbed the wrong wire,� Willis said.
Willis believes VanWitzenberg was killed instantly.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) will conduct the investigation into the incident, according to BCSO.
Service Electric issued a statement Thursday afternoon, confirming the death.
�Yesterday, one of our employees was involved in a fatal accident while performing utility work for Gulf Power in Panama City,� the statement says. �Service Electric Co. is investigating the cause of this incident and is cooperating with the investigations being conducted by OSHA and the customer. Service Electric mourns the loss of one of our co-workers, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.�


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Lieberman calls for more funding directed at rail-transit security
(The following article by Tara Fehr was posted on the Day website on September 22.)
WASHINGTON -- Taking a break from hurricane-relief discussions, the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee heard testimony Wednesday on how the nation's mass transit systems can be better protected.
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., the ranking member of the committee, said the nation cannot let its focus on Hurricane Katrina overshadow other security concerns.
"We can't take our eyes off (the transit systems) because the terrorists won't," he said, thanking Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, the committee's chairwoman, for proceeding with the hearing as scheduled.
"My concern for inadequate security of mass transit begins at home," Lieberman said in an interview after the hearing. About 229,000 Connecticut residents use rail transit, either Amtrak or Metro-North, Lieberman said.
The Department of Homeland Security has relied on its dog teams and Behavior Pattern Recognition Training programs to protect public transportation, according to Kip Hawley, assistant secretary of homeland security for the Transportation Security Administration.
Hawley said that even London, with one of the best underground security systems in the world, couldn't avoid an attack. But Lieberman and Collins said they believe more needs to be done, starting with more funding and a better surveillance system in rail lines.
After the attacks on London this summer, mass transit terror alerts in this country were raised to "code orange," meaning specific protective measures were taken by all agencies. As a result, mass transit security and police coordinated efforts with national and local law enforcement agencies.
Since before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Amtrak's Northeast division has coordinated efforts with local law enforcement agencies, enhancing the railroad's relationship with the agencies, said Cliff Black, Amtrak director of media relations.
"We rely on one another for intelligence, surveillance and enforcement," he said.
Capt. William D. Dittman of the New London Police Department said in a telephone interview that responsibility for security of rail systems is shared by his department and transit police.
"We work hand in hand," he said.


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Q: What is a VA Home Loan?
A: VA guaranteed home loans are made banks, savings & loans, or mortgage companies to eligible veterans for the purchase of a home which must be for their own personal occupancy. The guaranty is substituted in place of a down payment which a lender would normally require to get a great rate.
Q: Does my VA eligibility guarantee I will get a new home loan?
A: No, VA cannot make a lender do a loan that would violate their policies. Lenders must abide by VA credit and income standards as well as their own. If a lender is unwilling to make a loan to you, we can only suggest that you try other lenders.
Q: How much is my VA entitlement?
A: Your basic entitlement is $36,000. For any of the loans in excess of $144,000 to purchase or construct a home, additional entitlement up to an amount equal to 25 percent of the VA county loan limit for a single family home may be available. This loan limit can change yearly. The conforming loan limit for 2008 is $417,000 ($625,500 for Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands). This means that qualified veterans could get a no down payment purchase loan for those amounts.
Q: How do I get a VA Home Loan?
A: Here are the steps: Find a home and discuss the purchase with the seller or selling agent. Get a signed purchase contract conditioned on approval of your VA home loan. Then you select a lender, present them with your Certificate of Eligibility if available, and complete a loan application. The lender can also obtain a Certificate of Eligibility on your behalf. The lender will develop all credit and income information. They will also request VA to assign a licensed appraiser to determine the reasonable value for the property. A Certificate of Reasonable Value will be issued. The lender will let you know the decision on the loan. You (and spouse) attend the loan closing. The lender or closing attorney will explain the loan terms and requirements as well as where and how to make the monthly payments. Sign the note, mortgage, and other related papers.
10. Homes inspected by VA during construction, a warranty from builder and assistance from VA to obtain cooperation of builder.
11. VA assistance to veteran borrowers in default due to temporary financial difficulty.
Q: What can the VA not do?
A: Guarantee that a home is free of defects. The VA can only guarantee the loan. It is your responsibility to assure that you are satisfied with the property being purchased. The VA appraisal is not intended to be an "inspection" of the property. You should seek expert advice (a qualified residential inspection service), as necessary, BEFORE legally committing to a purchase agreement. If you have a home built, VA cannot compel the builder to correct construction defects although VA does have the authority to suspend a builder from further participation in the home loan program. VA cannot guarantee that you are making a good investment. VA cannot provide you with legal services.
A: The fact you and/or your spouse have been adjudicated bankrupt does not in itself disqualify you for a VA refinance home loan. The following rules apply: If the bankruptcy was discharged more than 2 years ago, it may be disregarded If the bankruptcy was discharged within the last 1 to 2 years, it is probably not possible to determine that you and/or your spouse are a satisfactory credit risk unless both of the following requirements are met: you and/or your spouse have reestablished satisfactory credit, and the bankruptcy was caused by circumstances beyond your and/or your spouses control (such as unemployment, medical bills, etc.)If the bankruptcy was discharged within the past 12 months, it will not generally be possible to determine that you and/or your spouse are satisfactory credit risks.
A: The VA funding fee is required by law. The fee is intended to enable the veteran who obtains a VA home loan to contribute toward the cost of this benefit, and thereby reduce the cost to taxpayers. The funding fee for second time users who do not make a down payment is slightly higher. The idea of a higher fee for second time use is based on the fact that these veterans have already had a chance to use the benefit once, and also that prior users have had time to accumulate equity or save money towards a down payment. First and second time users who make a down payment of at least 5 percent pay a reduced funding fee of 1.5 percent and the same as first time users making the same down payment. For a 10 percent down payment, the fee drops to 1.25 percent. The effect of the funding fee on a veteran's financial situation is minimized since the fee may be financed in the loan. National Guard and Reservist veterans pay a slightly higher funding fee percentage. To determine the exact funding fee percentage, please review the funding fee table.


This family owned and operated inn offers a free continental breakfast or $3 per person off a breakfast entree. Nearby you'll find Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, Cold Hollow Cider Mill and Stowe Village. The Sunset Motor Inn opened in December of 1960, and was renovated in September of 1998. This property offers access for travelers with disabilities.
Take exit #10 off of I-89. Travel 19 miles north and the inn is located on Route 100.
Airport Transportation. Child Care. Room Service. Wake Up Service.
Exterior Room Entrance. Interior Room Entrance. Multi-lingual Staff. Non-Smoking Rooms. Smoking Rooms. Alternative Lifestyle Friendly. Self Parking.
Are you staging or managing an event at the Sunset Motor Inn? To post your event(s) online, please click here.
HotelGuide and HotelGuide Morrisville are service marks of MetroGuide.com, Inc. HotelGuide Network is a registered service mark of MetroGuide.com, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. MetroGuide.com, Inc. does not own or operate hotel properties.


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Giants causeway story, the origin of which is still debated
The Giants Causeway, or, as it is also called, the Giant bridge, is perhaps one of the most mysterious places on Earth. According to scientific theory, this incredible structure in Northern Ireland, which is flat and similar to huge pavement megaliths, was created by nature itself. But the locals who believe in ancient myths and legends have a completely different opinion. In any case, the Giants Causeway is simply stunning.
If you go to the northeastern part of the country, you can see this amazing carpet made of "cut columns" of different heights, similar to paving stones. The wonder of nature is located on the coastal edge of the Antrim plateau. Each stone here is a surprisingly clear polygon (most often with five or six corners) with unnaturally straight sides. The pillars vary in length and rise out of the sea, gradually increasing in height until they reach the top of the cliff.
The photographs taken by tourists amaze with their beauty and mystery. However, at the sight of this "Causeway", the question immediately arises: where did it come from?
How was the Giant's causeway formed?
According to the scientific version, the Giant's Causeway is nothing more than a natural monument. It is just 40 thousand interconnected "columns" of basalt and andesite (igneous volcanic rocks) tightly connected. As people far from mysticism and based solely on scientific facts, scientists argue that this pavement was formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption that occurred here 50-60 million years ago, during the Paleogene.
Why is the Giants causeway hexagonal
During the intense volcanic activity, molten basalt rose up through the chalk strata, creating what is now known as the volcanic plateau. Then the lava began to cool and shrink, which caused cracks in the rock. As the lava flow continued to cool, it retreated, leaving behind tall columns, thus hexagonal. In the place where the lava cooled very quickly, it left behind especially noticeable and large columns.
Research in this area has helped scientists and geologists to better understand the geological history of the Earth, both in Northern Ireland and the planet as a whole.
Ancient story of Giants causeway
However, there is another mystical version. This history has been passed down by the locals for more than a century from generation to generation.
So, as the ancient Celtic legend says, giants lived on the coast of Northern Ireland many years ago. Once, a famous mythical hero named Finn MacCumhail or (Finn MacCool), decided to attack his enemy, the giant Goll, and specially built a bridge to get to him without getting his feet wet. But Finn did not have time to go to battle, as the enemy himself appeared to him – he moved to the side of the enemy at the moment when he was sleeping.
Meanwhile, Finn's cunning and attentive wife noticed the enemy's approach in time and quickly swaddled her sleeping husband like a child. She told the intruder that her husband was not there now, and their son was sleeping on the shore. Goll was amazed at the size of the baby.
Meanwhile, the hostess diligently portrayed hospitality. She baked cakes and invited the guest to taste them. The Gaint bit one and nearly broke a tooth – it was so hard. Then the woman in front of Goll gave the exact cake to the "son" who had already woken up by this time – and he ate it with pleasure. "If they have such a healthy and strong baby, then what power does the head of the family have!" – Goll was amazed and fled in fear, destroying the bridge along the way and leaving only its foundation.
The Giant did not know that in the cake that the hostess offered him, she put a frying pan as a filling and, of course, served the "son" with the usual one.
The Giants causeway is the only UNESCO heritage site in Ireland (it was included in this list back in 1986). And the Radio Times magazine in 2005, after conducting a reader poll, declared the Giants' Bridge the fourth most crucial natural wonder in the United Kingdom.
In addition to impressive megaliths, this area is famous for its unique beauty and diversity of flora and fauna. By the way, there are excursions for visitors. You can book a room at a nearby hotel and order a guide in advance.
Ancient Giants Ireland Science
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Thinis – the first capital of ancient Egypt
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Ancient lenses: Did advanced optics exist in ancient times?


Highly desirable 3BR/3BA Double-Master bedroom townhome by DiVosta Built-Solid in popular gated Magnolia Bay in the best location - 3 (or less) miles from everything! This very well-maintained home is spacious with a very flexible floor plan. A 3rd BR or Den/Office/Flex Room is found at the front of the home with a large walk-in closet + a full bathroom next to it - there is also access to the lovely front porch. A large screened patio with retractable awning is at the rear - enjoy our tropical weather as well as outdoor dining, morning coffee or an afternoon with your favourite book! Magnolia Bay offers a community pool, clubhouse, fitness center, tennis courts & children's playground. Truly a great place to call home - come see why!


M.E.C.'s R50 Series samplers provide a convenient method for monitoring RF signals and have almost no impact on VSWR or insertion loss. However, unlike more complex directional couplers, these samplers have no inherent directivity and equally sample signals propagating in either direction. They are therefore more appropriate for use in well-matched transmission lines.
Samplers are ideal for monitoring frequency, power level, in feedback loops and as diagnostics ports. Samplers may also be integrated into other components such as high power terminations, waveguide assemblies and coaxial adapters, thus eliminating a flange junction.
The standard length R50 Series samplers have cover flanges with alternating tapped and clearance holes (C-1), while the shorter R50-S series have cover flanges, all tapped (C-2). A selection of coaxial connectors is available covering a full range of power levels, frequency bands, and environments.
Units are made out of aluminum, finished via chromate conversion per MIL-C-5541, Class 3, and painted with gray epoxy enamel.
FREQUENCY: Specify actual desired frequency band.
EXAMPLE: R57-40-3-6.5-18.0 is a WRD-650D28 waveguide, 40 dB sampler with SMA female connector operating full band from 6.5 – 18.0 GHz.
(2) Other connectors, couplings, and bands are available upon request.


text:
Try it Out-1: Mind Mapping
21st Century Skills-1: Why Search Algorithms Matter
By the end of this Module, you'll learn how to:
Develop search terms based on information you already know
Use terms and concepts from search results to find and select appropriate sources
Understand that your ideas are part of both broader and more specific conversation
Many of us find information in our daily lives like Kai does in this example:
Kai recognizes an actor in the film they're watching. They enter the movie's title into Google, and navigate to IMDb to browse the cast list. Here, Kai uses the title (information they already know) to search for an answer to their question (who the actor is).
We all have "go to" sources, but do you ever wonder why you don't get the search results you want or why your searches return mostly information you already know? In this module, we will build a strategy for finding information beyond what we already know, starting by organizing our ideas into related terms and concepts.
Watch the three videos: 1. Organize what you know, 2. Understand Search Results, and 3. Evaluate a Website. Use the arrow commands below the media player to move on to the next video.
1. Use the Mind Map Chart to group related ideas
Think about which concepts go well together. Then, select terms from the bank below and drag them to the place in the chart that makes the most sense to you. There is no wrong way to organize these terms, but it will help to consider which terms are general and which terms are more specific.
Text-Only Mind Map Activity
Look at how you've grouped the terms in your mind map. Which terms did you put together and why?
Compare your mind map with a partner. Did they choose and arrange the terms differently than you? Discuss how you decided to group your terms.
Algorithms are complex sets of instructions typically used by computers to execute a task or solve a problem, and they play a big role in the way we experience and view the world. Social media platforms, artificial intelligence, and search engines like Google all rely on algorithms to find, organize, and display content based on data these services collect on their users. In the video 'Algorithms of Oppression' Noble talks about how we perceive search results as "Objective/Fair/ Neutral," but, in reality there are many algorithmic controls that shape the results we see.
After watching the 'Algorithms of Oppression' video, reflect on the question below.
We know that Google uses a search algorithm to anticipate what you want to find. Is this always a helpful feature? Describe an example of a situation in which personalized results are appreciated and an example of when personalized results are misleading.
<< Previous: Main Menu
Next: Module 2-Thinking Critically About Sources >>


Greece introduced a new Inheritance Tax law, known as Tax Law 3427 effective January, 2006. Some further adjustments were added in March 2007 (see page bottom). The law brings Greece in line with European Commission parameters on estate taxes and death duties. It affects British, Irish and other ex-patriates as well as Greeks who live in the country or who have assets in the country. This page of Brits in Crete is a guide to these changes.
Greece Tax Law 3427/2006 in fact unifies under one code the previously separate taxes of real estate transfer taxes, inheritance tax, donation tax and paternal grants (donations to children). The most significant change is the increase in the tax-free bracket for inheritance tax or for donations made between parents and children. This was increased from €20,000 to €80,000 in 2006.
In addition, the payment period required for tax liability on assessed inheritance tax has effectively been lengthened from a 24 monthly instalment repayment period to a generous 24 instalments bi-monthly. This means that the Tax offices has lengthened the time to pay the assessed amount to 48 months i.e. still 24 installments but the tax demand needs only be settled once every two months.
Taxes are in principle calculated depending on the "tax classes" as set out in an earlier tax law, Article 29 of the Law 2961/2001. That law provided for three tax classes, based on how heirs or 'legatees' are being classified according to their relationship to the deceased and therefore the three differing tax brackets.
* if the estate is valued under €80,000 there is 0% zero tax.
* above €220,001, the assessed rate is 20%.
It is best to contact a competent accountant and if necessary a lawyer in your local tax area or where the deceased had resided during their recent years and had been assessed in order to discuss the whole matter as to how the local tax office handles such a case.
Crete tax officials for the most part, rely on the advice given by qualified accountants with whom they work on a day-to-day basis for their clients. That is why it is important to talk to fellow residents and neighbours in Crete. Ask them who they would recommend to advise you on tax and accounting matters.
There is no written rule, but it is 'understood' by any local community there are those accountants who "bend" the rules - avoid them, and those who will give everyone peace of mind when it comes to submission of the tax returns. In cases of bereavement, most of the time, officials are pretty helpful. Do not take it personally if they are not.
The all encompassing Tax Law 3427/2006 in Greece applies to everyone who is resident in Greece (and therefore if in Crete) or own major property assets (house, boat car, caravan etc) in the country. If that is the case, that means also having to have a tax number ( ΑΦΜ (AFM) in Greek, pronounced aff'e'me).
Greece is an EU member state, therefore double taxation agreements are in place with other members e.g. Eire and the UK. The good news is that Greece, with few exceptions, only tax on assets and income within Greece, not worldwide, unlike the UK.
That briefly outlines Inheritance Tax in Greece. But let us recap for you as a foreigner, if you have to pay tax in Greece.
Do You Qualify to Pay Greek Tax ?
* If you spend over 183 days in Greece during the period Jan 1 - Dec 31 in any given year.
* If your permanent home (main residence and or family residence) is in Greece.
* If you earn income from employment in Greece. Mind you, you are allowed to earn €3,000 a year without filing for tax purposes (see below). You are also exempt if your work in Greece is regarded as secondary to your income generating activities undertaken in another country.
* If your main investments or business interests are in Greece.
* You buy, construct or renovate a building.
The one bit of good news is that there still is not an annual property tax unless your building is bigger than 150 square metres. Another provision is regarding a swimming pool of over 25m2. It attracts the equivalent of a wealth tax. An outdoor pool must be declared representing an annual notional income of €11,600 and if it is indoors then it is €17,400.
You are no longer to play the stock market in Greece as an individual, without declaring it. Previously it was allowed but if executed too frequently it was judged to be income generating and therefore liable to tax. (NB: Rule was amended between 2010 and 2014).
It is important to understand the motivating factors behind the very different apporach to taxation in Greece compared to UK. Like the fact, you have to prove your taxable income in Greece last year is more than the value of the vehicle you wish to buy in the present year. Or you have to prove you brought the money legally into the country to make the purchase.
The fact that Greeks made it almost a national pastime to dodge paying their taxes is the reason the country introduced such drastic tax avoidance measures to improve revenue collection and prevent rampant fraud.
For the same reason when you buy a property in Greece as a foreigner those all important bank pink slips still serve to prove your money was brought in from abroad legally either by telegraphic transfer / bank declaration or you personally declared it on arrival at the port of entry at the customs office at each location. This prevents the tax man from treating the payment as undeclared income.
Note: The local Crete tax office is pivotal to a smooth exchange of contracts for buying and selling of property.
Are you aware that it continues to be illegal to carry more than €10,000 cash across EU internal borders without declaring it. The same applies when arriving from a non - EU country. Some member states have increased limits.
Important: We are not tax experts nor accountants. Rules change frequently. For formal advice on Inheritance Tax, contact accountants in your area and prefecture where you stay when you are in Crete. They are not expensive by UK standards and worth every euro.
You can always check out our Brits in Crete Forum for the latest on any topical subject. On the subject of Inheritance Tax, you may like to read a very useful informative discussion of February 2007 here.
From March 1, 2007 under the general category of "Inheritance Tax" a further 20% to 33% increase in the scales used for "Legacy", "Donation" and "Parental donation" duties are being imposed for such transfers. A further category is introduced for the disabled.
- Ex-Pats Living in Greece and/or with Property - Guide to Their Obligations to the Greek Tax Man.
- Almost Total Abolition of Greek Inheritance Tax from 2008 onwards.
- Amendments to Greece Tax Code from January 1, 2009 onwards.
- Major Changes in Inheritance Tax from January 19, 2010 onwards.


text:
Paolo de San Leocadio (Reggio Emilia, 10 de septiembre de 1447 - Valencia, h. 1520) fue un pintor italiano que desarrolló la mayor parte de su obra en España y que se adscribe al denominado Renacimiento español.

Vida y obra
Era hijo de Pietro Lazzaro da San Leocadio, y tuvo tres hermanos mayores: Stefano, Nicolò y Luca. Su último documento en Reggio Emilia es de 1458, cuando el artista tenía 11 años. Probablemente poco después se trasladó a Ferrara, donde se formó con los maestros Bono da Ferrara y Ercole de'Roberti (Ercole Ferrarese).

Quedó influido por las obras de Andrea Mantegna, Cosimo Tura y Francesco del Cossa.

Viajó a España de la mano del cardenal Rodrigo Borja (quien luego sería papa con el nombre de Alejandro VI). Sus más importantes trabajos se documentan en Valencia, donde se constata su presencia desde 1472 hasta su fallecimiento. Se considera fue uno de los primeros pintores que trajo a la península ibérica las novedades del Quattrocento italiano.

De sus obras destacan el San Miguel Arcángel de la Catedral de Orihuela y los frescos de la catedral de Valencia, situados sobre el altar mayor y descubiertos con ocasión de unas obras de restauración en 2004 detrás de una estructura barroca que los escondía. Estuvo realizando dicha obra durante nueve años, junto a Francesco Pagano. Los frescos representan distintas escenas bíblicas, descollando los que ilustran La vida de la Virgen, considerados una de las primeras muestras del Renacimiento en España, junto a una serie de Ángeles músicos, quizá su obra maestra.

El descubrimiento de las obras de la catedral de Valencia replantea la recepción del Renacimiento en España, pues se consideraba que había existido un tránsito de influjos, desde Padua y Ferrara hasta Florencia, Milán y Roma, sin tener en cuenta el paso previo por Valencia. Del conjunto de pinturas que han sido conocidas desde el 22 de junio de 2004 en la catedral, parecen faltar sólo algunas que se dan por perdidas: una escena de los Apóstoles, La Última Cena y un Pantocrátor. La atribución a Paolo de San Leocadio de las pinturas se basa también en los documentos de contratación que figuran en un expediente completo en el archivo catedralicio.

El encargo de la obra por Rodrigo Borgia a Paolo de San Leocadio fue posible debido al incendio que se produjo en la catedral el 21 de mayo de 1469 y que destruyó por completo las pinturas de inicios del siglo XV y el retablo de plata.

En el Museo del Prado se encuentra el cuadro Virgen del Caballero de Montesa (c. 1475), que alcanzó notable fama a principios del siglo XX tras su compra mediante suscripción popular. El museo madrileño también guarda un Ecce Homo y una Dolorosa de su mano. También se encuentran pinturas suyas en el Museo de Bellas Artes San Pío V de Valencia. En el MNAC se encuentra la tabla Lamento sobre el cuerpo de Cristo Muerto (c. 1507).

Desaparecidos los retablos y otras piezas hechos para la iglesia de Santa María en Castellón (incendiados a comienzos de la Guerra Civil) y la colegiata y el convento de Santa Clara en Gandía, sus obras más reconocidas y documentadas siguen siendo el retablo del Salvador (1495-1501) y seis de las tablas del retablo mayor (1513-1519) con escenas de la vida y leyenda del apóstol Santiago, destinados a la parroquia de Villarreal (Castellón), todavía conservados en el museo de la Iglesia arciprestal de esta ciudad. En buena parte de este retablo, que puede considerarse la última de sus obras, debió intervenir bajo su dirección su hijo Felipe Pablo.

Referencias
 Ficha biográfica en Artnet.com, en inglés.
 Paolo de San Leocadio y Artcyclopedia, en inglés.
 Bautista i Garcia, J.D. "Pintors i pintures a Vila-real", Diputació de Castellón, 1987, pp. 22-32, en catalán.
 Catedral de Valencia. Los frescos renacentistas , página oficial de la Catedral de Valencia.
 Los frescos de la Catedral de Valencia.
 «Ángeles con caras limpias. Las pinturas renacentistas redescubiertas en la seo de Valencia se mostrarán esta semana al público de forma indefinida», El País, 4 de febrero de 2007.
 Bautista i Garcia, J.D. "Sobre el pintor Paolo de San Leocadio", Archivo de Arte Valenciano, 2015, pp. 43-49, en catalán.

Véase también
 Ruta de los Borja

Enlaces externos

   El cardenal Rodrigo de Borja mecenas de Francesco Pagano y Paolo da San Leocadio

Pintores de España del Renacimiento
Pintores de Italia del siglo XV
Pintores de España del siglo XV
Pintores de la Corona de Aragón del siglo XV
Nacidos en Reggio Emilia
Fallecidos en Valencia


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text:
EXCLUSIVE: Media and Politicians Created UK Drug War, but Police Fighting Back
© East News / PhotoNonStop RM
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201809071067837674-neil-woods-drugs-war/
Between 1993 - 2007, Neil Woods was one of the UK's leading undercover police officers, infiltrating some of the most dangerous drug gangs in British criminal history. He went in thoroughly invested in catching 'bad guys' - he left an ardent supporter of radical drug policy reform.
His damascene conversion stemmed from the realization that rather than Britain a safer place, his actions merely hurt vulnerable people and made the streets even more dangerous than before, all in the name of a futile and unwinnable war.
"I put drug dealers in prison for a combined total of 1,000 years, but only ever interrupted the flow of heroin and crack in a city for a few hours — and the same people at the top kept getting rich, however much authorities cracked down on it," Neil told Sputnik.
He, with the help of JS Rafaeli, documented his experiences and conclusions in the acclaimed 2016 book Good Cop, Bad War — and it wasn't long after publication a deluge of correspondence from members of the public who'd been impacted by the UK drug war in some way began flooding in to his proverbial in-tray. The book had a "huge impact", Neil says, evidently touching many readers "in some quite raw places."
© Photo : Pixabay
Drugs Gangs UK
To name but one representative example, a young man named Adam who grew up with heroin-addicted parents wrote to Neil, describing how as a child he'd witnessed his mother being forced to drink petrol over a £20 drug debt. Such letters — of which there were many — made him start questioning how Britain had reached this wretched point. His search for answers uncovered some shocking and uncomfortable truths — but also potential resolution.
Atlantic Divide
Very early on in his quest, Neil realised in the mainstream drug policy debate, there was little understanding of — or even attempt to understand — the origins of Britain's war on drugs. He found if one looked back to the early 1960s and prior, before illicit substances were properly criminalized in the UK, there was zero association between crime and drugs. No one stole to fund drug habits, and no organized cartels ran the drugs trade — if an individual had a drug problem, they got help from their doctor. It was dubbed 'the British system' — based on pragmatism and liberalism, it was "completely contrary to the American prohibitionist approach," Neil records.
"This didn't last long after World War II — the 'British system' fell victim to American moral imperialism, a highly aggressive and rarely acknowledged aspect of US foreign policy pursued by successive governments. The rest of the world was 'whipped into shape' by Washington in time post-1945, often due to financial threats, as America held so much of the world's war debts. This pressure was used to ensure indebted countries — the UK owed the most, of course — followed the US way of doing things," Neil told Sputnik.
© AP Photo / Luis Robayo
US Drug War Setback: Colombia to Ban Monsanto Herbicide Used to Kill Coca
In a perverse irony, at the time American politicians were pamphleteering their British counterparts to jump on the prohibitionist bandwagon, the US was home to hundreds of thousands of problematic heroin users — the UK only a few hundred.
"There's a very, very clear cause and effect at work here, which perfectly explains the mess we're currently in — record numbers of people dying, violent criminal gangs running major cities, mass child exploitation, rampant police corruption, prisons awash with drugs and crime. It's out of control — but the solution to these problems lies in our own history," Neil told Sputnik.
Generational Evolution
Troubling examples of the seismic — and ever-evolving — impact prohibition has had on the drug trade, and dealers and users, are littered throughout Neil's new work, Drug Wars. For instance, he interviewed three Liverpudlians, from three different generations, who'd been involved in the sale of drugs at separate, significant historical periods.
© AFP 2020 / TED ALJIBE
War on Drugs: US A-10 Destroys Taliban Narcotics Labs (VIDEO)
The first individual sold heroin during the drug's 1970s 'explosion', the second got involved in the burgeoning 90s ecstasy market via working as a nightclub bouncer, the third was a 16-year-old who'd escaped from a 'county lines' drug syndicate. He asked them comparative questions about specific aspects of their experiences — their wildly divergent answers spoke volumes.
For example, when quizzed over whether they would've been able to procure a gun if they wished, the first — the right-hand man of notorious gangster Curtis Warren, formerly Interpol's 'Target One', who once appeared on The Sunday Times Rich List — said if he'd asked, he would've been brought to "higher-ups" in his criminal fraternity to explain himself.
"They would've refused, he said, then told him 'don't be bloody stupid, why would you want to draw attention to us?', and to sort out any issues he had toe-to-toe. The second said while a similar attitude prevailed when he broke in, by the mid-90s everyone significant in the drugs trade had automatic weapons available to them. The third said he'd merely need a couple of hours to get hold of a firearm. He even recalled how on one occasion when he did want a gun, he was offered a grenade as one wasn't available — which he accepted, and took home with him!" Neil told Sputnik.
The emergence of 'county lines' drug networks is in itself a palpable manifestation of the perils of prohibitionist approaches to drugs, Neil believes. In such conspiracies, organized crime syndicates exploit children — typically highly vulnerable, trapped in extreme poverty, living in care or outright homeless — to sell drugs in different, often rural parts of the country, away from their 'headquarters' in major cities and metropolitan centres.
It's uncertain how many children are embroiled in such activities, but the UK Children's Commissioner estimates there at least 46,000 in England — with 4,000 in London alone — operating in around 1,000 gangs.
"None of this would've happened if police hadn't been so successful at taking down drug gangs, it's so frustrating and obvious. People like me are ultimately responsible for the exploitation of children by criminals. Getting young people to hold and sell drugs is a great defense — they're highly disposable and replaceable, easily manipulated, and readily bought. This is the tip of the iceberg, too, we ain't seen nothing yet. It's going to get significantly worse — more competitive, more violent, it's going to spill onto city streets everywhere," Neil told Sputnik.
The issue of 'county lines' has gotten so out of control that at at a September 4 conference in Parliament, independent MP John Woodcock called on Minister for Policing Nick Hurd to allow forces to tackle it in the same manner as counter-terrorism. Moreover, in July it was revealed UK police and intelligence services were using an undisclosed number of children — some of whom are under-16 — as spies in covert operations against violent drug gangs. Moreover, the government was seeking to extend the length of their deployment periods from one to three months, as juvenile informants were sometimes unable to complete their "tasking" in the standard period — and such a short space of time might discourage their wider use by authorities. For Neil, the "quite terrifying" disclosure was intimately connected to the rise of 'county lines'.
"Gangsters also used children because children can't become police officers, go undercover and infiltrate drug gangs. What police can do though is arrest young people and offer to let them off if they turn informant. The government's proposals were about ensuring legislation facilitates greater police reliance on child informants — but it's just going to lead to greater threats to the children involved, as gangs will simply ramp up violence and intimidation to frighten their young lieutenants into silence. The government can treat the issue like terrorism, throw whatever resources they want at the problem, but they're never going to effectively tackle it while they remain wedded to prohibition," Neil told Sputnik.
Media Culpability
Making the task of crafting and implementing rational, evidence-based drug policy in the UK all the more difficult, Neil says, are 'moral panics' regularly perpetuated by the mainstream media, which grossly exaggerate — if not outright fabricate — the threat of particular drugs, stoking irrational public fears, and prompting governments determined to 'look tough' to take reckless, unnecessary legislative action.
Drugs More Accessible Than Bedsheets in UK Prisons, New Report Finds
For instance, in summer 2009 alarming news stories about mephedrone, a synthetic psychoactive stimulant, began circulating throughout the UK. Use of the hazardous drug was said to have rapidly reached epidemic levels, in the process killing dozens of users, and landing many others in hospital — one man reportedly tore off his own scrotum after mephedrone-induced hallucinations convinced him poisonous centipedes were crawling all over his body.
More shockingly still, children were even said to be swept up in the drug's mephitic grasp, with hundreds of pupils across the country regularly missing school as a result — but teachers and police officers alike were powerless to confiscate the substance, as it could be purchased legally online, often under cuddly euphemistic names such as 'meow meow'.
There was, however, a small problem — not one of these stories was even vaguely true. Mepehdrone was only marketed by online retailers as 'plant food' for legal reasons, the tale of the crazed imbiber mutilating his body was actually a fiction originally posted in jest on a legal high website, and not a single death has ever been conclusively linked directly to the chemical as of September 2018. Moreover, the name 'meow meow' was virtually — if not entirely — unheard of on British streets prior to its appearance in the media.
© Flickr / Jirka Matousek
Students take drink and drugs to cope with increasing debt worries
Still, undeterred by the apocryphal nature of these narratives, mainstream media reporting on mephedrone quickly metamorphosed into a fully-fledged crusade, with horror-stories of lives lost and families destroyed becoming an almost daily fixture of print and television news, and impassioned reporters habitually lambasting the government for their abject failure to act on the nationwide menace.
The impact of this onslaught was seismic — in addition to widely publicizing the drug's existence and boosting its rates of usage, the government was successfully compelled to move decisively on the illusory scourge, announcing March 2010 mephedrone — and all other cathinones — would be completely illegalized.
While hailed as a grand triumph by the media, the move precipitated the resignations of several members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, a governmental body. One, Eric Carlin, said the government had forged policy "unduly based on media and political pressure", which would needlessly criminalize users, "harming people who need help and support". Moreover, Neil notes the ban merely pushed the trade onto the black market, with potentially catastrophic results.
"Banning mephedrone didn't make the public any safer — all it did was put yet more money in the pockets of organized crime groups, as they took up the trade and boosted prices accordingly. It also injected violence into a market where none existed previously — penalties for getting caught with the drug obviously greatly increased, so intimidation did too, to deter grasses. The media bears a huge responsibility for that, and there are obvious lessons for them to learn from the fiasco — but I'm yet to see much recognition of this among journalists. In fact, over the summer I saw several stories about a new drug called 'monkey dust', which were similarly complete nonsense," Neil despairs.
In Spite of Politics
Nonetheless, recent developments have given Neil cause for optimism. At the start of September, he spoke at a conference on drug policy reform in Middlesborough, northern England. A number of of experts joined him — including Barry Coppinger, the region's Police and Crime Commissioner.
In his address, Coppinger unveiled a pioneering pilot scheme aimed at helping hardcore drug addicts in the city turn their lives around. All local long-term addicts, for whom all other treatment has failed, and who are the most active criminals in the town, stealing and more to finance their addictions, will be invited to join.
© REUTERS / Chris Jackson
'Overwhelming Evidence': Prince William Not Alone in Calls for UK Drug Reform
Under the plan's auspices, a clinic will be established to allow heroin users to self-administer the drug under professional supervision three times a day in a program designed weans them off their addiction. Concurrently, appropriate medical and housing assistance will be provided to get them off the streets, and assist their reintegration into society. If successful, it's hope similar schemes will be launched in other major cities and towns in the UK.
"Police are leading the way, bringing in constructive reforms in spite of politics. There's growing awareness among forces across the country arresting dealers only creates opportunities for others, and 'getting tough' on drugs never reduces size of the market, merely changes the shape of it. Treating drug addiction as a public health issue, rather than a criminal justice problem, is the only solution — and if we don't try revert to the tried and tested 'British system' of old, the cycle will continue. For a fraction of the cost of investigating, arresting, prosecuting and imprisoning these people, we can change their lives — and their local communities — immeasurably for the better, and free up vast resources currently squandered on fighting the senseless drug war," Neil concludes.
The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
The views and opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
Why Child Spies Demonstrate 'Inhumanity at The Heart of Britain'
MP Calls On UK Gov't to Tackle 'County Lines' Drug Gangs Like Terrorism
'Plugged in Anal Cavity': Drugs & Wars in UK Prisons Where Cons Told How to Use
'There is a Border Vulnerability': UK Drugs Gang Spotted Flaw in The System
drug dealer, drug addiction, Drug war, drug cartel, Neil Woods, United Kingdom


text:
The value of frozen section evaluation in the management of borderline ovarian tumors
Emre Gultekin1, Ozge Elmastas Gultekin2, Basak Cingillioglu1, Sevil Sayhan3, Muzaffer Sanci1, Yusuf Yildirim1
1 Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Ege Gynecology and Maternity Training and Research Hospital, Yenisehir, Izmir, Turkey
2 Department of Statistics, Ege University Faculty of Sciences, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
3 Department of Pathology, Ege Gynecology and Maternity Training and Research Hospital, Yenisehir, Izmir, Turkey
Emre Gultekin
Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Ege Gynecology and Maternity Training and Research Hospital, Yenisehir, Izmir
Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of a frozen section and to analyze the factors affecting frozen section results in cases of borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs). Materials and Methods: The files and pathological reports of 82 cases diagnosed with BOT at our clinic, between January 1994 and June 2009, have been retrospectively evaluated. The frozen section results were compared to the permanent paraffin section results. Accuracy, overdiagnosis, and underdiagnosis rates were estimated. The factors affecting the diagnosis were also evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Results: The mean age was 40.16 ± 14.01 years. Of the patients, 47.6% had serous and 42.7% had mucinous histology. About 90% of the cases were in stage I. The rate of correct diagnosis with frozen section was 69.5%. The rates of overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis were 1.2 and 29.3%; respectively. The factors affecting the diagnosis were determined as, the dimension of the ovarian mass (P = 0.005), presence of a solid component (P = 0.000), preoperative CA 125 value (P = 0.016), and intraoperative rupture of the ovarian cyst (P = 0.049). Conclusion: In the frozen section evaluation of BOTs, the underdiagnosis that restricts the diagnostic performance of the method seems to be a major problem. A more careful approach is therefore needed, while choosing a proper surgical technique during laparotomy for ovarian masses. In order to reduce the false diagnosis and surgical morbidity, the frozen section analysis should be applied by experienced pathologists and the possible predictive factors affecting a false diagnosis should carefully be taken into consideration.
Gultekin E
Gultekin OE
Cingillioglu B
Sayhan S
Sanci M
Yildirim Y
Borderline ovarian tumors
overdiagnosis
underdiagnosis
© Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
Online since 1st April 2005, New website online since 6th Aug 2014


AG Wathelet opined that the Mark could not be registered if one or more of its essential features was necessary to obtain a technical result. If the CJEU follows this opinion (which it usually does), this is likely to prevent Nestlé from being able to register the Mark since one of the essential features of the Mark, the grooves in the chocolate, is necessary to obtain the technical result of allowing the fingers of the snack to be separated. AG Wathelet's opinion is a good demonstration of the difficulties of registering shapes as trade marks and provides a useful clarification of when a trade mark may have acquired sufficient distinctiveness to be registered.